[Article] Calgary Flames: Alone at the bottom

[ComixZone]

It’s an interesting way to frame what we all know.

Article here.

Since the lockout, the Flames are the only organization in the NHL to rank in the bottom three in playoff wins, series wins, conference final appearances, and top-five picks. The closest team to the Flames was the Wild, who also ranked in the bottom three in series wins, conference final appearances, and top-five picks, but 26th for playoff wins.

It’s a testament to Flames fans everywhere. The team we love is not easy to love, but we do it anyways.

[troutman]

They don’t have top five picks because they are not the “bottom”. More average than bottom.

[Kipper_3434]

Consistently underwhelming, even when we were good it was a disappointment how we went out in playoffs. Been a tough ride and haven't had many top draft picks to soften the pain.

[Groot]

Could not care less. According to the article, Flames made the playoffs 11 out of 20 seasons, and we all know a few they fought to the bitter end of the season a few times just to miss by an inch. So say about 75% of the last 20 seasons have produced quality entertainment. For me personally, that's fantastic.

To each their own, but I watch hockey for entertainment and to me there's nothing entertaining about watching a garbage team scrape together 20 wins in a season so they can draft a stud and then hopefully not suck in a few years.

If the Flames never win a Cup or even make a Cup finals again in my lifetime, I'm not going to be looking back on my life with any sort of regret. I pity anyone that does. Go Flames Go, thanks for the ride.

[Bonded]

That’s why the team blowing up with Gaudreau was so disappointing. I felt like they were going to go deep the next year

[dammage79]

Canucks and Flames are the ONLY two teams older than 40 to never have had a 1st OA pick.

Canucks, Flames, Ducks, Wild, Preds, Knights and Kwaken never have had 1st OA out of 32 teams.

That story cements what people call the mushy middle. That's what this organization is. Luke warm porridge.

Honestly I don't even know what I would do if the Flames ever got 1oa.

Meanwhile up north, the losers lost so much they got 5 of them in the last what 18 years? That a quarter of all 1st OA picks in this era.

[Sandman]

Flames all-time win % is 8th in the history of the NHL (I think), and I believe it was top-5 at one point (I could be wrong, but it’s up there). That’s both a good thing and a bad thing, but it could be worse, I guess.

[TrentCrimmIndependent]

Positive: You won't see abysmal 15-20 win seasons like you see in some places at their worst. The team brings a competitive product to the ice for the most part, even when they're mediocre on paper. This speaks to the high bar and culture within the organization.

Negative: They'll let you down when it matters and come up just short of playoffs or making the next round. Playoff appearances aren't consistent and when they happen they won't go far. Very Wild-like. And it usually comes down to lacking top talent.

[redmile04]

yet there is still fans that do not want to tear it down.. will never understand why fan want the current state to continue...

[Calgary4LIfe]

This is why I was in favour of Treliving leaving - the playoff success was abysmal and unacceptable. I don't have my own personal bar set to 'win a Stanley Cup or bust' - that's too much to expect in a 32 team league.


However, I do expect that a team that transitions from 'rebuild' to 'competing' actually does compete. It should be a team that makes the playoffs for 5-7 straight appearances, and reaches the conference finals once or twice at least. That's a contending team to me, even if they never quite make it to the Finals. Flames have never came close since '04. Hopefully under Conroy - and his seemingly focus on the draft - whatever he builds the Flames to will be much more successful.

[Two Fivenagame]

Don't worry. Choosing to "retool" instead of rebuild will certainly work. Drafting outside of the top 10 to secure the Zarys, Honzeks, Pelletiers, Coronatos is easily a recipe for success in this league.

[gvitaly]

Originally Posted by Sandman

Flames all-time win % is 8th in the history of the NHL (I think), and I believe it was top-5 at one point (I could be wrong, but it’s up there). That’s both a good thing and a bad thing, but it could be worse, I guess.

It could be the case, but the Flames have been largely irrelevant starting from the 90s. I count 3 seasons after 1991 when the Flames were talked about as a team that could do damage heading into the playoffs: 2005-06, 2018-19, and 2021-22. Maybe you could add 2008-09.

[sharkov]

We also had no top 3 tips during that span so.......

[Winsor_Pilates]

Why you gotta make me feel so bad on a Saturday!?

[Jiri Hrdina]

Didn’t read any real insight or new thoughts. Just a rehash of what is already known
I find the content that site produces to lack any depth and pretty poor

[CliffFletcher]

For my part, I find regular-season NHL play really dull to watch. If that’s all the NHL offered, I genuinely doubt I’d even follow the sport anymore.

To me, it’s all about the intensity, drama, and high stakes of the Stanley Cup playoffs. So the difference between a Flames team that finishes three point out of a playoff spot, and one that finishes with the fourth worst record in the league is negligible. One lost a few more boring regular-season games in November or February than the other. Neither gave me the entertainment of playoff games and a Cup run. But at least with a few elite blue-chip prospects, I’d have a lot easier time imagining the team’s fortunes turning around.

[mrdonkey]

Telling that Calgary, Minnesota, Buffalo, Arizona, and Columbus appear on a lot of these metrics. If you were making a top 5 list of perpetually irrelevant franchises that serve as nothing more than Tuesday night schedule filler, this one would be hard to top.

[Groot]

N/m

[Goriders]

Originally Posted by Groot

Could not care less. According to the article, Flames made the playoffs 11 out of 20 seasons, and we all know a few they fought to the bitter end of the season a few times just to miss by an inch. So say about 75% of the last 20 seasons have produced quality entertainment. For me personally, that's fantastic.

To each their own, but I watch hockey for entertainment and to me there's nothing entertaining about watching a garbage team scrape together 20 wins in a season so they can draft a stud and then hopefully not suck in a few years.

If the Flames never win a Cup or even make a Cup finals again in my lifetime, I'm not going to be looking back on my life with any sort of regret. I pity anyone that does. Go Flames Go, thanks for the ride.

Everyone seems to have a spreadsheet or a database to compare everything these days. People can decide what they think on their own. As an example the flames missed the playoffs this season but it was one of the more entertaining seasons I have witnessed

Data isn’t the be all end all.

[Bunk]

Originally Posted by Groot

Could not care less. According to the article, Flames made the playoffs 11 out of 20 seasons, and we all know a few they fought to the bitter end of the season a few times just to miss by an inch. So say about 75% of the last 20 seasons have produced quality entertainment. For me personally, that's fantastic.

To each their own, but I watch hockey for entertainment and to me there's nothing entertaining about watching a garbage team scrape together 20 wins in a season so they can draft a stud and then hopefully not suck in a few years.

If the Flames never win a Cup or even make a Cup finals again in my lifetime, I'm not going to be looking back on my life with any sort of regret. I pity anyone that does. Go Flames Go, thanks for the ride.

If you want to convince yourself that this is fine, go for it. For me, building toward true competitiveness, and legitimate shots at the cup is what a franchise should do to earn fandom.

The fact is the proof is in the pudding that the Flames are one of the least competitive and poorly run organizations in North American sports. I feel we are played for fools with moves that keep our head above water peddling false hope. Fans ought to vote with their dollars and not show up, but I guess the that doesn’t happen so there is no change.

I’ve more or less checked out, Flames have no hope until Edwards is gone.

I hope y’all can have some fun, but I’m just kinda out now. Pains me.